The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1887-03-04
BOARD OF TRADE.

The Board of Trade met Monday
morning with large and interested at
tendance of directors.
The committee on hotel reported that
trifie over 5000 had been subscribed,
and they felt sure that the required 5000
could be secured with little difficulty.
Mr.. NJ. B. Haynes presented the
Board with map of Brown county.
The special committee appointed to
inspect and report upon the condition
of the Mankato Public school buildings,
submitted written report as follows:
MANKATo, FEB. 25th, 1887.
THE BOARD OF TRADE, MANKATo.
The special committee appointed to
inspect our public school buildings, beg
to report as follows:
We have this day made a careful in
spection of the Pleasant Grove, Union
and Franklin buildings, and have made
superintendent of education and mem
bers of the board.
At the Pleasant Grove we found the
building badly crowded, the total en-
rollment being 4S2, while the seating
capacity of the building is but $50; some
of the rooms being so filed that 1t Is
impossible for the teachers to do salts
factory work.
The system of heating is very defec-
tive, there being three furnaces in use,
which have been in operation since 1859,
and are now in bad order, and consume
a very large amount of fuel, in proper
ton to the space heated.
We found two rooms had been dis
\ r. Il, lorv h.
so filed with smoke it was impossible
to remain in them, and were informed
that all of the rooms have q great deal
of trouble of this kind, caused by the
defective furnaces and poor chimneys.
Something must be done to furnish
more room, as this part Of the city is
growing rapidly and the building is al
ready crowded beyond its capacity.
At the Union building we were much
surprised to find that the floors In the
second and third stories had settled con-
siderably, and the walls have the APP
pearanee of being sprung, and while we
are not prepared to say the building is
unsafe, yet Its condition is such that in
our Judgment it should not be used an
other season unless thoroughly repaired.
1t is heated by wood stoves, there being
no basement under the building. One
room has been dismissed on account of
smoke.
The High School, in this building, is
badly in need of more commodious
quarters, and indeed must have them in
order to attain such results as are ex-
pected of it. There Is no room for a
laboratory, or library, both of which are
greatly needed.
A room was partly fitted up for a
laboratory in the basement of the Pleas
ant Grove building, but the distance from
the High School is too great to permit
of much use being made of it.
At the Franklin we found ample room,
and the building being comparatively
new, is in good repair excepting steps
and portion of the floor, which need
some attention. The upper portion of
the building is not finished, there being
only four rooms in use at present. The
building is heated by stoves, but there
being good basement, a different sYs-
tenn Of heating can be put in when de-
sired.
reliable system of ventilation, and win
dows are depended on wholly.
The evil effects of this were very ap-
parent, nearly every room having open
windows, and in some cases every win
dow open, and many children necessari-
ly exposed to the draughts of cold air
pouring in. We have learned ofseveral
cases of fatal illness coming from this de-
fective manner of ventilation. The air
| in many of the rooms was very impure,
and cases of fainting among the pupils
in the Union building are of common
occurrence.
Your committee believes that more
room is imperatively needed, and that
the erection of q suitable building for
High School purposes, centrally located,
is essential. Such building will relieve
the pressure on the Pleasant Grove and
Union buildings, and will be of incalcul-
able benefit to our High School.
A thorough system of heating and
ventilating should be put in all the
buildings as soon as possible.
We recommend the passage of suitable
resolutions, encouraging the Board of
| Education to proceed with this work..
Respectfully submitted,
JOHN r JONES,
Z. p. FREEMAN,
g. M. PALMER,
Committee.
Mr.. Geo. T. Barr moved that the spec
ial committee to inspect the public
schools be instructed to prepare resolu-
tons to the effect that 1t is the sense of
this board that public interest demands
that the board of education take early
and effective measures looking to the
building of a High School, and the put
ting in thorough repair each of the pres
ent school buildings in the district; and
that the means of heating and ventilat-
ing each building be improved as in the
judgment of the Board of Education
may be best. That such resolutions be
reported to this board at its next regular
meeting for approval. and, when 80 APP
proved, copy Of same be by the secre-
tary transmitted to the Board of Ednca-
ton.